


Tapping out a memory

by Clovercove



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: Gen, sorry Sky, whoops i forgot sky
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-07
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:20:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24584458
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Clovercove/pseuds/Clovercove
Summary: Taptaptap tap tap tap taptaptapMores code is a funny thing. Messages without words or hand signals. Link had learned it when he trained to be in the royal guard, and despite his memory loss the beeps that softly played in the background while he traversed the divine beasts sent an itch of familiarity into his head.taptaptap tap tap tap taptaptap
Relationships: Daruk & Link (Legend of Zelda), Four & Hyrule & Legend & Sky & Time & Twilight & Warriors & Wild & Wind (Linked Universe), Link & Mipha (Legend of Zelda), Link & Revali (Legend of Zelda), Link & The Champions, Link & Urbosa (Legend of Zelda), Twilight & Wild (Linked Universe), Warriors & Wild (Linked Universe)
Comments: 24
Kudos: 518





	Tapping out a memory

_Taptaptap tap tap tap taptaptap_

His fingers pressed down into the rough bark of the fallen tree log where he sat. Each tap lingered for a moment, where he would press his fingertip deep into the trenches of the log, never cutting into his skin but turning it raw and red.

_Taptaptap tap tap tap taptaptap_

His head felt like it was filled with cotton. Too much cotton, to the point where it was pushing up against his skull. A dull ache, more than it was a pain. He heard the forest around him in clear, sharp sounds. The flap of a bird's wing stung his ears. The distant rustle of a squirrel among the treetops reverberated in his head. It was all so much but it was all so far away at the same time. He flicked his ear as a familiar fog entered his mind. 

_Taptaptap tap tap tap taptaptap_

_He was in a metal ship in the sky, flying. The wings of the metal beast spread wide and full and proud. He was inside the metal ship, with puzzles to be solved and a rival to be saved._

_A song, confused and panicked wafted through the creaking corridors. Hidden within the melody he could hear something._

His finger twitched, and he tapped it out once again. 

_Taptaptap tap tap tap taptaptap_

His face contorted into a frown. He wasn’t frustrated. He wasn’t sad. He tapped out the simple letters once again, and his fingertips burned.

_Taptaptap tap tap tap taptaptap_

Nine quick movements. Three fast taps, three slower taps, three fast taps. 

_Taptaptap tap tap tap taptaptap_

_He was in a metal ship in the desert, advancing. The proud and regal steps of the camel shaped beast throwing plumes of sand up into the sky. He was too high up to be bothered by it though. He was inside the mechanical beast with puzzles to decipher and a friend to save._

_A song, troubled and exhausted, drifted through the sand-crusted hallways. buried within the tune was a message._

_Taptaptap tap tap tap taptaptap_

He was pushing his tender fingertips harder against the wood. The tapping came out faster, while still relaying the message it meant. He scrunched his eyebrows together. Something was looking at him. He couldn't focus, so he couldn't tell what it was. He continued to stare blankly away from camp into the forest surrounding him. 

_Taptaptap tap tap tap taptaptap_

It was walking up to him now, in apprehensive steps. Slow, as if approaching a scared horse. 

_Taptaptap tap tap tap taptaptap_

_He was in a metal ship in a great lake, floating. Such a large metal beast should sink to the bottom, surely. Yet despite its rather clunky size, it floated gracefully atop the water, waves lapping at its side in hushed rushes. He was inside the automated machine with puzzles to figure out and a sister to save._

_A song, uncertain and afraid flowed throughout the rusted hollow of the beast. Obscured within the beat was a final plea._

_Taptaptap tap tap tap taptaptap_

There was a hand on his shoulder. Then an arm around his torso. Then fingers against his cheek. He hears them saying something, but suddenly all the overwhelming sounds of the forest are so far away. The only thing he could hear were nine sharp sounds. Each the same. Three fast ones, three slow ones, three fast ones. 

_Taptaptap tap tap tap taptaptap_

He was shaken a little bit, by whatever was touching his shoulders. His fingers twitched. He let out a sharp breath then repeated the taps, quicker this time. Panicked. 

_Taptaptap tap tap tap taptaptap_

_He was in a metal ship on a mountain, climbing. The beast clung to the side of the volcano with minimal effort, as if its hands were sticky like the lizard its design was based off of. Its tail beat against the side of the mountain, sending chunks of rock and lava cascading down its slope. It was a mighty beast. He was inside the mechanical guardian with puzzles to decode and a brother to save._

_A song, wavering and apologetic, rumbled through the burning passageways. Masked within the theme were three simple letters._

_Taptaptap_

_S_

_Tap tap tap_

_O_

_Taptaptap_

_S_

“Wild? Are you with us?” a voice broke through the tapping. Wild realized that someone was holding his hand, stopping him from beating out the three letters. Looking around, he wasn’t surrounded by greenery anymore. He was surrounded by his friends. 

No. not his friends. They were still calling out to him within the divine beasts tapta _ptap tap tap tap taptaptap-_

“Hey hey, no more of that.” 

These were his friends. Twilight sat front and center, crouched down to look Wild in his eyes. He had wilds head cupped in his hands, a look of concern written across his face. 

Wind was next to him, hugging his torso tightly. He wasn’t looking up at wild, with his face smushed up against the older man's arm in a vice grip. Warriors had his hand on Wilds shoulder, looking as if he were just shot with an arrow. He was the one that grabbed his hand to stop the tapping. 

The others were scattered behind the three, looking on with mixtures of confusion and worry. 

“Hey, there we are, cub. You back?” Twilight asked again, aiming his head up to look at him. Wild gave a stiff nod, though his eyes still looked foggy and far away. 

“What was that tapping?” Four piped up behind Warrior, causing the man to stiffen. He tightened his grip on Wilds hand, but loosened it soon after. 

“He was saying S.O.S in morse code,” Warrior stated, looking down at the ground as if in pain. 

Warrior was a trained knight, a captain of soldiers who weren’t guaranteed to see it to the next day. He knew morse code like the back of his hand, and had heard it more times than he could count. No doubt he had heard the code for S.O.S hundreds of times, none of which could have been on a good occasion. His fleet, his friends, must have died while tapping that simple fraze out. Hearing it again must not put him in a very good head space. But he was trained to endure it. 

His friends. Warriors friends must have died while tapping out S.O.S. Like his friends. Like how his friends sent him and Zelda one last plea for help before that haunting melody was trapped within their metal tombs. Like how Revali had waited until the very last second to send it, letting his arrogance take hold until he finally realized that he couldn’t beat Windblight. 

He and Link hated one another. They were rivals. They fought every time they were in the same room. They glared silently when fighting wasn’t permitted. 

He and Link were rivals (friends). Behind closed doors, when no one looked, they would give each other teasing grins. Link would playfully stick his tongue out and Revali would roll his eyes. Link would bury his face in his feathery chest while Revali hugged him close. Link would cry into his rivals (friends) shoulder about the unfairness of it all. Revali would come to Link after he spent hours at the flight range, wings shaking with exertion while he told himself it wasn't enough, it wasn't _enough._ And Link would braid a ribbon into his feathers and tell him it was enough. He was enough, and he just needed to rest. Hyrules best champion can’t fall asleep in the middle of battle, after all. 

“Cub, cub look at me. It's okay,” Twilight said, whipping a tear off of Wild cheek. He was crying, apparently. Just like Mipha cried as she realized that she couldn’t beat Waterblight. 

Her and Link cherished one another. They were childhood friends. She had a crush on him, at one point in time, and when her crush dwindled his crush formed. Then they both realized that their love wasn't romantic. It was platonic, the love of a sister and brother. 

Her and Link were friends (siblings). She healed him when he tried something too reckless. He protected her when she tried something too daring. He taught her how to wield a sword, and through that they realized that Link was a simply awful teacher. He sat on the sidelines and cheered her on as the royal knight assigned to her taught her the way of the spear, and eventually the trident. He would hold her close as the weight of ruling the kingdom was slowly shifted upon her shoulders. She would card a hand through his hair when speaking wasn’t an option, and words were too far away for Link to reach. She sewed him a suit of armor. Not the traditional proposal suit, but one with a different design. One that wasn’t meant to tie him down in matrimony, but one that told him he would always have a place in Mipha’s home and heart. 

“What's wrong? What can we do to help?” Time's deep voice cut through the whispers, determined and strong. Like how Urbosa bravely stood her ground against Thunderblight, before eventually falling. As they all did. 

Her and Link were distant. She didn’t show she cared much about the little knight, and he did the same. She cared about Zelda, who hated him, so obviously their relationship couldn’t be close. 

Her and Link were acquaintances (brother and sister in-arms). While Zelda despised him, Urbosa would simply smile at him and wink. She knew that it was only a matter of time before the princess warmed up to the silent knight. She watched him in the training grounds as Impa won their one-sided battle. She saw how hard he worked, how determined he was to live up to the standards required to wield the Master Sword. She let him lean into her side when the training sessions got particularly grueling. She laughed as he was denied alcohol once again, before silently slipping him a beer when the bartender wasn’t looking. He stood beside her in silent support when her stance wavered and her shoulders slouched a fraction from where they usually stood, strong and proud. He was there for her when her tough exterior fell into a more subdued one. That of which a tired woman would wear, one that had seen things beyond her years. 

“Is he slipping back into a memory?” Hyrule asked, nervously looking at Wild then to Time. He had a caring expression on him, curious and kind and worried. Like Daruk, who worried about his friends even when he was occupied with Fireblight, thinking of others till his very last breath. 

He and Link were comrades. He warmed up to Link instantly, and it was hard for Link to not do the same. He was a likeable guy all around, carefree and energetic. 

He and Link were comrades (brothers). Daruk was boisterous and brash, which clashed with the stoic and polite knight. Yet, whenever Link and Zelda ventured to Death Mountain, he would gravitate towards the man. He was big, with skin as coarse and hard as a rock, but he was gentle when it came to the Hylian. When a boulder stood in the way and Link was too short to peer over it, Daruk would hoist him up and set him on his shoulders, giving him a better vantage point. When Link got too frustrated with his duty he would march up to Daruk and collapse on top of the Goron, letting the warmth of the man lull him to sleep. He would often set up a shield then, blocking out the outside noise and let the small Hylian rest in his little bubble until duty called once again. When Daruk would get too loud, when he would miss social cues and often offend the nobility he was forced to be around with his status as Champion, Link would be there to help him out. He would drive the conversation somewhere else so they would forget about it, or he would politely excuse them and lead Daruk into a more secluded area, letting the Gorons shoulders un-tense and relax. Daruk would ruffle his hair and, in retaliation, Link would flick him in the nose. It hurt Link more than it did the Goron, but it got his point across. 

“Wild? Are you okay? What's going on?” Wind finally piped up from where he sat, now only clutching Wild’s arm. Wild’s frown deepened, and his shoulders shook. 

His hand, the one not clutched by Warrior, shakily tapped against Winds thigh. 

_Taptaptap tap tap tap taptaptap_

“What's wrong Wild? Why are you saying S.O.S? Are you hurt?” Twilight asked. 

“They were calling for me,” Wild answered in a hushed voice. Everyone tensed, not expecting a reply.

“Who?” Legend huffed from behind Time. his arms were crossed but his eyes held worry. 

“My friends. They sent one last message to us, to _me_ , and I couldn’t do anything. I had to get Zelda to safety. I had to protect her. We heard it. We knew they were asking for backup. And I couldn’t do anything,” Wild said in a hoarse voice, getting more choked up as the sentences wore on. “They sent out S.O.S signals. And I heard them again, a hundred years later. In the songs of the Divine Beasts, when they were still corrupted. They were still sending out an S.O.S signal as they suffered for one hundred years,” he choked out, hunching into himself. 

The others stood in silence. The only one in the group privy to what happened in Wild’s hyrule was Twilight, and even he looked lost. 

“Cub. look at me,” Twilight commanded, tilting Wilds head up again. “They sent those S.O.S signals because they knew you were going to save them eventually. And they aren’t suffering anymore. You freed them, cub.” 

Twilight pulled WIld into a hug, and all Wild wanted was to feel Revali's feathers brush up against his face. He wanted Mipha to braid his hair like she used to. He wanted Urbosa to wink at him as she slid him a beer that was, more than likely, watered down. He wanted to nod off against Daruks warm body as the orange glow of his shield muffled outside noise. He just wanted his friends back. 

But they were gone, and he couldn’t experience those feelings ever again. He had new friends now, who were amazing in their own right. But they weren't the Champions. There would never be anything like the Champions again. 

All that was left were the memories he held of them and an echo in his mind. An echo of nine continuous taps. An echo of what could have happened if he had listened to those calls. And a silent resentment that he did not.

_Taptaptap tap tap tap taptaptap_

**Author's Note:**

> hohoho I heard that there was mores code for S.O.S in the background of the Divine Beasts dungeon themes and my mind went BRRRRRRRRRR


End file.
